Atalanta shock the world

Atalanta won the Europa League last night to claim their first trophy in 61 years and only their second in club history.

Their 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen shocked the football world, but it was nothing less than the Italian side deserved.

A tactical masterclass from manager Gian Piero Gasperini and hat-trick heroics Ademola Lookman made the difference on the night.

Lookman steals the show

Ademola Lookman was a man on a mission last night, leading Atalanta to their first ever European trophy.

The opening goal of the final came in the 12th minute.

After some clever work on the right hand side, Davide Zappacosta played the ball into the box.

Leverkusen’s Exequiel Palacios was caught flatfooted as Lookman snuck in front of him to apply a first-time finish with his weak foot into the top corner.

14 minutes later, Lookman produced a moment of magic.

Upon recovering a misplaced Leverkusen pass in midfield, the Nigerian international nutmegged Granit Xhaka before curling a beautiful strike into the bottom right corner past Matej Kovar.

Then with 15 minutes remaining in regular time, Lookman conjured yet another moment of individual brilliance.

He received the ball on the edge of the box before producing a swift stepover to create just enough space between himself and Edmond Tapsoba to bury another left-footed finish into the roof of the net.

In doing so, he became the first player ever to score a hat trick in the final of the competition.

Leverkusen had no response, and the final was done and dusted.

Leverkusen finally suffer a first defeat of the season

The occassion was supposed to be another crown in the jewel of Bayer Leverkusen.

Having clinched the club’s first-ever league title last week without suffering a single loss, Xabi Alonso’s side was only two games away from an unthinkable invincible season in all competitions.

However, it just wasn’t their night.

Still, they can end the season on a high by winning the German Cup on Saturday.

A domestic double alone would be a massive achievement for Bayer Leverkusen.

Atalanta rewriting the script

Last night epitomised the unpredictability of football.

While Atalanta are by no means a poor side, all signs pointed to yet another win for Xabi Alonso and Bayer Leverkusen.

Hats off to Atalanta for making history.